"focaccia" news and stories

Quick focaccia. Photo: YumSugar.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week:

Tasty, rustic focaccia can be yours in just half an hour ... if you take a cue from Sandra Lee.

The 411 on speck, an Italian cured, smoked meat.

The ten dishes you must make this fall, from cupcakes to moussaka.

Switch up the classic chocolate brownies by giving peanut butter center stage.

A Raspberry Shag slips basil and raspberries into the ol' vodka.

Sorry, McD's -- Subway is about to become the world's largest food chain.

Are you cool with swapping plates?

• Everyone is eating quinoa these days.
• Napa wine has changed in the past 30 years.
• When I make a sandwich these days, I find myself using focaccia more and more.
• Are you familiar with Montreal smoked meat?
• This chocolatier moved from New York City to Amesbury and found a new career.
• Restaurant reviews: Machu Picchu Charcoal Chicken & Grill, Webster Hall, Benatti, and Chau Chow.
• This week's recipes: Thai Dressing, Grilled Lamb Steaks with Farro, Olives, and Almonds, and Ice Cream Pie.

This pizza is so new that DiGiorno doesn't even have any info about it at their web site, except a picture of the box.

This is the latest pizza in DiGirono's "Ultimate" line. They just keep releasing pizzas that are the ultimate this and the ultimate that. They should just go ahead and name a product This Is The Only Pizza You Ever Have To Buy, All The Others Suck. But I guess that would mean they couldn't release any new pizza products.

This is pretty good actually. It's incredibly thick and has a crunchy focaccia crust, and it's probably the heaviest pizza box I've ever carried out of the store. At first I thought it came with its own pizza stone or something. Right now it's in two flavors: cheese with sun-dried tomatoes and pepperoni with spicy red pepper flakes. I tried the former, and while the taste of toasted sun-dried tomatoes got to me after a while (definitely a topping you can't overcook), it was tasty and filling. Tonight I'm going to buy the pepperoni version (and kudos for someone finally releasing a pizza that has those red pepper flakes on top!)